The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year, and that journey begins with training camp and the preseason. One of the biggest challenges the Steelers are facing is how to budget their 53 roster spots.
No matter what happens, some talented players are unfortunately going to be cut. Let's take a look at four players who are on the Steelers roster bubble. They will all need to excel heading into the season to have a chance at making the final 53-man roster.
Van Jefferson hanging on by a thread
Van Jefferson‘s spot on the Steelers’ roster is likely secure for the time being, but that’s solely due to the team having essentially no depth at the position. His job security has very little to do with anything Jefferson has proven to be certain.
If the team acquires a star receiver on the trade market such as Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel or DK Metcalf, Jefferson could quickly find himself fighting just to stay on the roster.
Steelers TE room may not have space for Rodney Williams
Rodney Williams has some upside, but he doesn't stand much chance of making the Steelers’ roster unless he excels or situations outside of his control change. Former Penn State star Pat Freiermuth is the team's undisputed starter when healthy. Health is quite the big caveat though, as Freiermuth has battled a long list of injuries throughout his NFL career.
Because of Freiermuth’s availability concerns, it would be wise for the team to carry at least three tight ends. They could choose to carry four, in which case Williams would have an excellent shot at making the roster. Carrying four tight ends would require cuts elsewhere though, and the Steelers may not view Williams as a valuable enough player to justify that trade-off.
He can have some say in this decision by making himself an asset during training camp and preseason. Still, he could do everything right and the team could still choose to limit their tight end resources to three players.
If this is the case, Williams is likely the odd man out. Freiermuth is the starter, Darnell Washington is the backup and Connor Heyward is a useful player who can handle a number of roles but he's primarily a tight end.
Heyward will make the roster due to his versatility and his proven ability to make impact plays, so two spots are automatically taken. The question becomes, what happens with Washington? He's definitely going to make the roster, but it's entirely possible that the team views him as an offensive lineman rather than a massive tight end.
If they move Washington to the line, Williams could sneak in as the third tight end. Most likely, though, they'll stick with the status quo. That means Wilson has to be at his best and prove to the team that they can't afford to cut him regardless of their other plans for the position and their allocation of resources for the overall roster.
DeMarvin Leal running out of gas with Steelers
DeMarvin Leal was drafted with the promise of being a tweener who could excel at both defensive end and outside linebacker. Unfortunately for Leal, things haven’t worked out as planned, and there may not be room for him on the team's roster anymore.
Let’s start with the state of the Steelers’ edge rush. The team boasts two of the best players in the league at the edge position in TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. Watt might just be the best player in all of football, he’s that transformative. He’ll be on the field for the majority of snaps in every game because the team can’t afford to waste his talents on the bench.
Yet, every player needs to take a few players off here and there, and Watt is no exception. Not only will the quality of his play likely diminish if he is to be on the field for every snap, but the chance of significant injury would skyrocket as well.
Watt is one of the most impactful players in the entire league, and he’s arguably the most important player on the Steelers’ roster as well. This means that keeping him healthy and on the field is of paramount importance. There’s no justification for running him into the ground and increasing his risk of injury in the process.
The need to spell Watt is why they drafted Leal in the first place. However, they have other players who can step off and take the few snaps that Watt and Highsmith will need off, which means Leal’s presence is not nearly as critical as it used to be.
He just hasn’t developed in the way that the team expected. As a result, he needs to demonstrate his worth this preseason if he doesn’t want to find himself cut from the roster.
Spencer Anderson bidding for offensive line role
The Steelers invested heavily into their offensive line throughout the past two years, and the young talent they have cultivated is beginning to pay dividends. Broderick Jones is almost certainly a lock to start at one of the two tackle positions, while 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu is likely to secure a starting spot as well.
Anderson fits best at guard, and that is his natural position. However, if he wants to have a chance to crack this lineup, he’ll likely have to learn to play tackle as well. Fautanu can play either guard or tackle and it’s possible he starts at guard if the Steelers off to go with Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones as their bookends.
The team is set with their starters and has decent depth. Fautanu and Moore Jr. can both play tackle in addition to their natural positions at tackle, which makes one of them a prime candidate to back up any of the offensive line positions. One of them will start at tackle, while Isaac Semaulo and James Daniels have the starting guard positions secured.
This diminishes Anderson’s value immensely and puts him on the outside looking in to make the Steelers roster. He’ll have to excel during training camp and leave a lasting impression in order to secure his place on the teams roster.
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